Guzzi
The Guzzi (グッチー) is a Japanese subminiature camera, made by Earth Kōgaku from 1938 by 1944 and mainly distributed by Sanwa Shōkai. The Top (トップ) is a minor evolution of the Guzzi, distributed around 1948 by Asahi Shōten. Context The Guzzi appeared in 1938 as a copy of the German Ulca. It was the second Japanese subminiature camera using rollfilm, released one year after the Midget. Compared with the latter, it used a slightly larger film and was priced about two times cheaper, mostly aiming a younger public. All the models take ten exposures on special paper backed rollfilm; the nominal exposure size is 20×20mm but the actual size is 18×18mm on 20mm wide film. 20×20mm: articles in June 1938 and December 1940 and advertisement in August 1938, reproduced in Awano, pp.4 and 7 of no.277; advertisement in February 1940 reproduced in , p.71. 18×18mm: Awano, p.4 of no.277. The Guzzi was first released with a die-cast metal body (as the Ulca), but the company later switched to pressed metal for the late Guzzi and the Top (see below for the detail variations). The lens and shutter assembly is mounted on a tube at the front. The lens is a fixed-focus meniscus; it has 30mm focal length and a single aperture, about f/8. 30mm f/8: , lens item I3. The shutter has Bulb and Instant settings selected by a button on one side of the casing, and is tripped by a lever placed on the other side. The film is advanced by a knob at the top left, as seen by the photographer. The back is hinged to the right and contains a single uncovered red window to control the advance. The frame finder unit at the top is made of a bent sheet of metal; it also acts as a back latch, swiveling upwards to open the camera and holding the back shut when in normal position. The early Guzzi The Guzzi was first advertised and featured in the June 1938 issue of . The column wrongly says that the camera is made of black bakelite and has T and B shutter settings, perhaps because the journalist didn't have access to an actual example. The camera is attributed to Earth Kōgaku, and the price is given as — one roll of film costing ¥0.25. (This is an extremely low price, and the Guzzi was perhaps the cheapest Japanese camera available at the time, except for no-need-darkroom models.) The early Guzzi are actually made of die-cast metal, and have a metal advance knob. The die-casting is grainy at some places, faking a leather covering. The earliest examples perhaps have GUZZI above the lens and EARTH KOHGAKU below, as illustrated in the August 1938 advertisement in Advertisement reproduced in Awano, pp.4–5 of no.277. — no surviving example has been observed so far with these markings. At some time, the bottom marking became EARTH K.K. — at least one surviving example of the diecast version has this inscription. Example pictured in Awano, no.277. This variant is pictured without interruption in advertisements until April 1940, at the unchanged price of . Advertisements on pp.13–4 of December 15, 1939, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, pp.47–8; advertisement in Asahi Graph September 20, 1939, reproduced at Gochamaze; advertisement in February 1940 reproduced in , p.67; advertisement in April 1940 reproduced in Awano, pp.5–6 of no.277. A common catch phrase used in these advertisements is "a camera smaller than a matchbox" (マッチ箱より小さいカメラ). Most were placed by the distributor Sanwa Shōkai, but at least one was placed directly by the manufacturer Earth Kōgaku, showing the name of two other distributors — Mizuno Shashinki-ten and Yamamoto Shashinki-ten — along with that of Sanwa. Advertisement on p.14 of December 15, 1939, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.48. The late Guzzi or New Guzzi The late Guzzi are made of pressed metal with actual leatherette covering, and have a black bakelite knob with the name GUZZI moulded at the top. These changes certainly occurred because of a shortage in raw materials. Most of the examples found today correspond to this late version. See for example the example pictured in , item 5007. One of them has been found in its original box, marked "New Guzzi" in Japanese characters (新型グッチー); this name was perhaps used by the manufacturer for the late version, but does not appear on the advertisement in May 1940 — the earliest to show the new model, still priced at . Advertisement reproduced in Awano, p.6 of no.277. Outdated pictures of the early model were intermittently used for advertising after that date. See for example the advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera. The Guzzi appears in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941. , type 5, section 5. The rigid system of price categories theoretically resulted in a much higher price at ¥10; however this price rise was not fully applied, and the camera was reportedly sold for ¥6 in 1941 and ¥7 in 1942. Awano, p.3 of no.277. See also the advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera, where the price is given as ¥7. The Guzzi is mentioned in the April 1943 government inquiry on Japanese camera production, , item 188. and was sold until 1944. The last advertisement observed so far is in the February 15, 1944 issue of ; it was placed by Earth Kōgaku and lists the three distributors Mizuno, Sanwa and Yamamoto — the price of the camera is given as . Advertisement on p.7 of February 15, 1944, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.71. The Top The Top is almost identical to the late Guzzi made of pressed steel, from which it differs only by a few details: the advance knob is made of metal again, with the name TOP engraved above, the release lever has a silver round tip instead of a red dot, and the shutter plate is inscribed TOP above the lens and TOP CAMERA WORKS below. Examples pictured in , item 5149, and in this page at Submin.com. The camera comes in a small box inscribed 20×20mm, TOP Camera and TOP CAMERA WORKS. The only document observed so far is an advertisement in the April 20, 1948 issue of , placed by Asahi Shōten with no mention of "Top Camera Works" (the latter was perhaps a dummy name, see Camera Works). Advertisement on p.4 of April 20, 1948, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.82. The Top is presented as a metal camera taking 20×20mm exposures, and a very awkward drawing is provided, barely allowing to identify the camera. The Guzzi accessories and film The following accessories were offered for the Guzzi: Advertisement in August 1938 reproduced in Awano, p.4 of no.277; advertisement on p.13 of December 15, 1939, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.47; advertisement in February 1940 reproduced in , p.67; advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera; advertisement on p.7 of February 15, 1944, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.71. * case (¥0.85 in 1938–40, ¥1 c.1942, ¥1.15 in 1944); * filter (¥0.85 in 1939–40, ¥1 c.1942); * filter with hood (¥2 in 1939–40, ¥2.30 c.1942 ¥2.60 in 1944). The case is made of brown leather and has the name GUZZI embossed at the front, with some variations. Regular film rolls for the Guzzi were sold for ¥0.25 in 1938–40, for ¥0.29 c.1942 and for ¥0.33 in 1944. Article in June 1938 and advertisement in August 1938 reproduced in Awano, pp.4 and 7 of no.277; advertisement on p.13 of December 15, 1939, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.47; advertisement in February 1940 reproduced in , p.67; advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera; advertisement on p.7 of February 15, 1944, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.71. Panchromatic film, announced in December 1940, appeared for ¥0.30, and was priced at ¥0.41 c.1942 and at ¥0.47 in 1944. Column in December 1940 reproduced in Awano, p.7 of no.277; advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera; advertisement on p.7 of February 15, 1944, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, p.71. It is reported that the film spools made for the early Guzzi cannot fit the slightly narrower body of the pressed steel model, and that those made after the war for the Top cannot fit the early Guzzi because the flanges have a slightly larger diameter. Awano, p.4 of no.277. The film processing tank appeared about one year after the Guzzi, and was featured in July 1939. Column in July 1939 reproduced in Awano, p.8 of no.277. It was sold for ¥3 by Sanwa Shōkai under the name "Baby process tank" (ベビー現像タンク). Column in July 1939 reproduced in Awano, p.8 of no.277; advertisement on pp.13 and 15 of December 15, 1939, reproduced in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, pp.47 and 49; advertisement in February 1940 reproduced in , p.67; advertisement dated c.1942 reproduced in Nostalgic Camera. It can process 17.5mm film as well (for the Midget and Mycro), and was perhaps not made by the same manufacturer as the Guzzi camera itself. Notes Bibliography * Item 71. * Awano Mikio (粟野幹男). "Gucchī" (グッチー, Guzzi). In no.277 (July 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. * Item 188. * Type 5, section 5. * P.55. * Pp.253 and 928. * Mizukawa Shigeo (水川繁雄). "Gucchī to Sunappī" (グッチーとスナッピー, Guzzi and Snappy). Pp.36–7. * Advertisements on pp.47–9, corresponding to pp.13–5 of the December 15, 1939 issue; advertisement on p.71, corresponding to p.7 of the February 15, 1944 issue; advertisement on p.82, corresponding to p.4 of the April 20, 1948 issue. * P.80. * Items 5007 and 5149. Links In English: * Guzzi and Top at Submin.com In Japanese: * Guzzi at Jenga's blog * Guzzi in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology * Advertisement for the Guzzi in Asahi Graph September 20, 1939, reproduced in the small format camera page at Gochamaze * Advertisement for the Guzzi dated c.1942, reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura Category: G